Tatamagouche

Tatamagouche, NS, incorporated as a village in 1950, population 752 (2011c), 689 (2006c). The Village of Tatamagouche, located on Northumberland Steait, 67 km northwest of New Glasgow, takes its name from the MI'KMAQTakumegooch (loosely meaning "meeting of the waters"), describing its location where the French and the Waughs rivers meet. Acadians may have settled here as early as 1710, mining a deposit of copper ore. In the Expulsion of 1755 the outpost of 12 or so buildings was burned by the English. About 1771 Joseph Frederick Desbarres settled 18 Lunenburg families on a grant of 8100 ha in a futile attempt to manage a manor estate like an English landlord. In 1820 the shipbuilding industry began in earnest, enduring until the end of that century. The Intercolonial Railway arrived at Tatamagouche in 1887 but railway service was discontinued in 1986; the rails were removed in 1989 and the railbed is now part of the Trans Canada Trail. In 1955 the Atlantic Christian Training Centre (now Tatamagouche Centre), owned and operated by the United Church, was built.

Today, Tatamagouche is a service centre for nearby coastal communities, with fishing, farming, lumbering and most recently tourism contributing to the economy. Recreational facilities and a 19 ha park along the scenic Northumberland shore draw tourists and campers. Attractions include the Creamery (operational from 1925-1992), which now houses a museum, archives and farmers market.